Rethink urged on regional asylum seeker settlement

A migrant employment support group is calling for changes to the way asylum seekers are settled in regional Victoria.

Diversitat's chief executive Michael Martinez says one of the problems faced by migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds is that their qualifications might not be recognised.

He says at the moment refugees are being sent to areas where there are only a small number of people from a similar background.

Mr Martinez says that makes it hard for them to get community support and employment.

"Unfortunately DIAC [the Department of Immigration and Citizenship] sometimes will set up a community but if you only bring in small numbers of people it doesn't actually create enough of a community there," he said.

"If you have 10 or 15 or even 20 families, if you look at the ones that are successful, it's where you've got a substantial number that can actually support each other."

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